Sukhothai and Chiang Mai

My first stop on the journey north from Bangkok was Sukhothai. Sukhothai was the first capital of Siam, founded by King Ramkhamhaeng somewhere between 1238-1257. It fell into ruins when the power moved to Ayutthaya in the 1300s. I believe there was also a big fire, and there may have been damage by the war with Burma as in Ayutthaya. Now Sukhothai Historical Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is dedicated to preserving the ruins. 

I spent the whole day wandering around the incredible masses of ruins. It was very sobering to think about the lives that have been led amongst these towering columns in a long gone era. 

My favourite was Wat Sorasan. This shrine is held up by elephant statues.

Wat Si Chum (Temple of the Bodhi tree) was another incredible one. The Buddah in there is known as Phra Achana which translates to 'the Buddah who is not afraid'. He's around 11m wide and 15m tall, and the building is barely big enough to hold him. 

To give you a bit of context of his size, this is me beside his fingers...

I ended up back in the ruins in the evening when a friend called me to a Songkran festival the locals were holding. Songkran is new year and traditionally celebrated by sprinkling water over people and sacred objects in a cleansing rite. It's now turned into a giant water fight of course, but the festival was about coming together and sharing culture and food and good conversation. We were welcomed into the fold with big smiles and nods, people eager for us to try their homemade food, snacks and treats.

The ruins were lit up, flags waved from the trees, people had traditional dress, there was a dance performance and even Miss Sukhothai was there with her beauty pageant tiara. The police too were asking us for selfies and sheparding us to good seats. An incredible experience to stumble upon!

5 hours further north is Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is a fascinating place. I stayed just outside the walls and moat of the Old Town and spent 2 days exploring the streets in between. Chockablock full of temples that you can just wander around at your own pace, blissfully quiet and empty except for the occasional monk.

They're often guarded by cool guys like these;

The only problem with Chiang Mai is that it is currently the most polluted city in the world. Current levels are around 330 micrograms per meter - honestly I'm not sure what that means exactly but it tastes as though there is a lot of dust in the air that sticks in your nose and throat making it difficult to breathe. There's a haze that lies over the city and sunrise/set is a circular orange blur that struggles to penetrate it. Most people wear surgical masks and I can understand why. Hopefully further north the quality will improve.